The Chargers will be without one player this weekend for the worst reasons. The Jets, meanwhile, have seemingly been without one of their players all year.

The Chargers will be without one of their top run-stuffers Sunday when facing the run-oriented New York Jets offense at the Meadowlands.

Inside linebacker Randall Godfrey, whose sister was murdered earlier this week, will not attend the game.

Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Godfrey will be attending his sister's funeral this weekend.

Godfrey was questionable to begin with, after suffering a neck injury against the Eagles on Oct. 23 that kept him out of Sunday's win over the Chiefs.

Stephen Cooper, who played well in his first start Sunday, will again replace Godfrey. Cooper had eight tackles and a half-sack.

His game plays into what the Jets expect to do: run the football. With the difficulties they are having a quarterback spot, it figures that the Chargers will get a full dose of Curtis Martin.

Cooper, looked at as a possible replacement if Godfrey retires at the end of the year, is getting his shot to show he belongs in the starting lineup. He passed his first test and another solid game could cement the thoughts the Chargers have regarding his future.

Jets notes:

The Jets thought they had their tight end situation all figured out just before the draft, sending their low first-round pick and a seventh-rounder to the Raiders for Doug Jolley and a pair of sixth-rounders.

To date, the deal has been a bust.

Jolley earned himself a spot in the doghouse early in training camp when he criticized coordinator Mike Heimerdinger's new offense and Jolley's lack of work. Expected to get 40-50 catches, Jolley has just seven receptions for 79 yards and wasn't even able to wrest the starting job from Chris Baker, getting only 8-12 snaps a game.

Baker has 16 catches this season and the Jets are even using rookie Joel Dressen in goal-line situations.

"I was expecting to play more," Jolley said. "(The coaches) know where I am. They know I want to play."

But unlike training camp, Jolley's keeping his thoughts to himself these days.

"The way I was brought up, the players play and the coaches coach," Jolley said. "Players let the coaches coach."

If the Jets had held onto their draft choice, they would have had the opportunity to draft tight end Heath Miller out of Virginia. Team executives, however, graded Jolley higher than Miller.